Canadian Underwriter

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Catastrophes


News CatastrophesInsuranceMergers and Aqcuisitions

Recent storms Australia’s fifth declared cat of 2015

May 5, 2015 by Canadian Underwriter

Storms between Apr. 30 and May 3 in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales (NSW) – prompting 7,500 claims and initial loss estimates of AU$26 million as of Monday morning – represent Australia’s fifth declared disaster so far in

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Rebuilding Nepal: Canada’s disaster relief team sets up operations

May 5, 2015 Mike Blanchfield - THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA – Canada’s disaster-relief team is now setting up operations in earnest in Nepal, but aid agencies and the Nepalese government warned Monday that a long road of rebuilding after the devastating earthquake lies ahead. “It’s far away; it’s on

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Canadian, U.S. ministers announce new class of tank car for the transportation of flammable liquids in North America

May 4, 2015 by Canadian Underwriter

Lisa Raitt, the federal Minister of Transport and U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Anthony Foxx, unveiled a new class of rail tank car for flammable liquids on Friday. This newer, stronger tank car will be used for the transportation of flammable

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Bill imposing $1 billion in absolute liability for pipeline spills tabled for third reading

May 1, 2015 by Canadian Underwriter

The federal government tabled Thursday Bill C-46 – which proposes to impose absolute liability of up to $1 billion on pipeline operators in case of spills – for third reading in the House of Commons.  Bill C-46, the Pipeline Safety Act,

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Fire that plunged downtown Calgary into dark a result of failed circuit switch

May 1, 2015 THE CANADIAN PRESS

CALGARY – Fire officials are blaming a failed circuit switch for an electrical blaze inside a manhole that plunged much of downtown Calgary into darkness last year. The fire last October shut down the city’s downtown core and left blocks

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Northern Ontario First Nation community expects to finish evacuation Thursday

April 30, 2015 THE CANADIAN PRESS

KASHECHEWAN, Ont. – The evacuation of a remote First Nation community in northern Ontario due to flood fears is expected to be completed soon. A spokesman for Kashechewan First Nation says the last 16 residents from the community of 1,900

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Marshes, reefs, beaches can enhance coastal resilience in the U.S.: NOAA

April 30, 2015 by Canadian Underwriter

The resilience of coastal communities in the United States to storms, flooding, erosion and other threats can be strengthened when they are protected by natural infrastructure such as marshes, reefs, and beaches or with hybrid approaches, such as a “living

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Auditor says it takes too long to clear snow from Ontario highways after storms

April 29, 2015 THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO – Ontario’s auditor general says drivers have faced “less safe winter highway conditions” since the province sought to cut costs in 2009 by contracting out road maintenance to the lowest bidders. Auditor general Bonnie Lysyk says in many cases

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Canadians optimistic about their ability to deal with extreme weather events: RBC study

April 28, 2015 by Canadian Underwriter

Although extreme weather events are on the rise, Canadians are still optimistic about their ability to deal with the impacts of these events, according to the 2015 RBC Canadian Water Attitudes Study released on Tuesday. RBC Insurance said in a

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Expediting authorizations for drone use after disasters would improve risk assessment and response: study

April 28, 2015 Angela Stelmakowich, Editor

NEW ORLEANS, La. – A new study detailing how drones can help first responders and improve relief efforts after a disaster recommends the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) expedite emergency flight authorizations for the private sector, a move that would greatly

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Quake aid need acute in Nepal capital, more so in villages near epicenter; toll tops 3,700

April 27, 2015 Katy Daigle and Binaj Gurubacharya - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

KATHMANDU, Nepal – Shelter, fuel, food, medicine, power, news, workers – Nepal’s earthquake-hit capital was short on everything Monday as its people searched for lost loved ones, sorted through rubble for their belongings and struggled to provide for their families’

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RIMS Community Service Day focuses on rebuilding two catastrophe-affected neighbourhoods in New Orleans

April 27, 2015 Angela Stelmakowich, Editor

NEW ORLEANS, La. – About 100 risk management professionals joined forces with the St. Bernard Project, a non-profit that provides critical resources for communities afflicted by natural disaster, on Apr. 26 to lend a hand in rebuilding two New Orleans